In October, we conducted and/or experienced our first – funeral, wedding, speaking engagements in a local Bible College and seminary, baptisms, took our first trip into Malaysia, AND our first dental root canal journey. In November, we were part of an ordination of a young pastor on our Church Staff, and on the 26th we will celebrate our first Thanksgiving in 38 years with none of our children present. We are posting some pictures of our adventures and ask that you continue to remember us and pray for us as we live and serve the Lord here at the Grace Baptist Church, Singapore.
I wish I could describe for you how funerals are conducted here. The services are conducted in halls with no religious or spiritual symbols or wording out of respect to all the faiths in Singapore. The halls are quite sterile and not very warm or comforting. But, the most notable part is the cremation portion – where the casket is carried by a remote controlled machine toward the cremation oven as we clearly view the proceedings from an observation room. It is quite an experience. The weddings are very grand affairs with the programs and meals going on for hours at a time. Speaking at the Singapore Bible College and the Baptist Theological Seminary was a real treat for us. We had the chance to meet many students, who come to be trained at unbelievably great personal sacrifice and costs. The baptisms at the church were precious. Many of those baptized were children, but there was an adult or two as well.
Effie and I were in need of a break in the action and one of the dear couples in the church took us to a local beach area and we got to ride a tandem bike. I am not sure who did most of the work, but Effie doesn’t know how to ride a bike. It was a great change in the routine and we had a great time. See the picture.
We were also able to visit the historic resort city of Melaka (the Malay spelling), or otherwise known as Malacca, across the border in Malaysia. At various times it was governed by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, so the architecture and culture of the city is fascinating.
Arnold got an “up close and personal” view of dentistry in Singapore. Thanks to the kindness and contacts of a church member, we were put in touch with some state of the art practitioners. They really took great care of him. Hopefully, this journey will only take another couple of months, as he has to complete the root canal treatment and then get a cap put back on the affected tooth.
Ordinations in Asia are taken very seriously. It is a long and complicated process. It was a privilege to be a part of this young man’s ordination into the ministry of the Gospel. This young man has so many great years of service ahead of him. If only we could be young again - knowing what we know, now.
Effie has started co-teaching a Thursday morning women's bible study and is also filling in teaching Junior Worship on Sunday mornings. She gets a chance to meet more parents and children in the church. In addition, she and the other Pastor's wives are teaching a special seminar to about 20 girls in a home for troubled teens. Please pray that they will be able to minister to these precious girls. It is not an easy ministry, but a great opportunity to share Christ's love and Gospel.
The tickets for Effie’s visit in the States in February have been purchased. She will spend time helping Elena in Chicago and then jump over to help Lisa in Dallas. While the estimated delivery dates are close, 3 days apart, at least they are in the same month, so she can help both on the same trip. She is really looking forward to seeing and being with everyone.
Both of us will be back in Texas in May for Kara’s graduation from dental school. We will probably have to fly to other cities in order to see everyone. We are still working out the itinerary to maximize our visits with the girls and with our families in California.
We have had several visitors come to Singapore. That has been fun and very helpful, too. Some of these same friends were able to bring us items that we purchased in the States. We have gotten pretty good at ordering stuff over the web and having it shipped to local addresses. Then our friends are very kind and gracious to carry them over to us in Singapore. Thank you dear friends! You have been our “lifeline” with home.
Well, we had better let you go. We miss you all and look forward to seeing you soon. Don’t forget that you can talk and even see us on the web at our Skype address – arnoldjwong08, or you can call us at our Texas phone number, 469-277-2487.
Happy Thanksgiving, blessings, and our love to all,
Arnold and Effie
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